Independent 11,688 by Filbert

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Wednesday fun from Filbert.

I thought this was a good midweek level of difficulty: some straightforward clues but others needing a bit more work. I liked the construction of 12d (wouldn’t have thought of the association between those two words) and the anagram in 3d. My last one in, 10a, turned out to be my favourite: I needed all the crossers to see it, but then it was obvious. And we have a pangram too, for those who like to note such things. Thanks Filbert for an enjoyable challenge.

Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.

ACROSS
1 FLASHING
Metal on the roof intermittently reflecting sunlight? (8)
Double definition. Strips of sheet metal used as weatherproofing for joints in a roof; or emitting / reflecting brief bursts of light.
6 AFFECT
A newspaper includes odd pieces in French to impress (6)
A + FT (abbreviation for Financial Times = newspaper), containing the odd-numbered letters of F[r]E[n]C[h].

Affect, as a verb = impress = to have an effect on someone.
9 QUEUES
Nameless Cambridge college keeps university groups waiting (6)
QUEE[n]S (Queens’ College, Cambridge; it’s named after more than one Queen, hence the apostrophe at the end) without the N (abbreviation for name), containing U (abbreviation for university).
10 DEADLINE
Last date‘s reason for not phoning? (8)
Definition and cryptic definition. The latest time by which something must be done; or a DEAD (non-functioning) LINE (telephone connection) may prevent you from making a call.
11 ELEVENTH-HOUR
The Spanish still travel abroad, bagging hotels at the last minute (8-4)
EL (a form of “the” in Spanish) + EVEN (still = undisturbed) + TOUR (travel abroad), containing (bagging) H H (more than one of the abbreviation for hotel = hotels).
13 POSTCARD
Note doctor performs operation in reverse (8)
DR (abbreviation for doctor) + ACTS (performs on stage) + OP (abbreviation for operation), all reversed.

A short message written on a card, as opposed to a longer letter.
15 EXCITE
Bother, wrong name on back of certificate (6)
X (a mark to indicate that something is wrong) + CITE (name, as a verb = to identify someone as being responsible for something), all added on to the last letter (back) of [certificat]E.

I’d usually think of “excite” as raising positive emotions and “bother” as raising negative ones; but I suppose “I’m not bothered” can be equivalent to “I’m not excited” = I don’t really care.
17 WALRUS
Corpulent swimmer taking short walk at reduced speed (6)
WAL[k] without the last letter (short) + RUS[h] (speed, as a verb = move quickly) without the last letter (reduced).

A swimming animal with a large blubbery body.
18 NUTRIENT
Feeding ten, I turn to mince (8)
Anagram (to mince = cut up into small pieces) of TEN I TURN.

Nutrient, as an adjective = providing nourishment.
19 HUDDERSFIELD
Shiver cycling racers in Yorkshire town (12)
SHUDDER (shiver), with the letters “cycling” so that the initial S moves to the end, then FIELD (the group of competitors in a specific race, especially in horse racing).

West Yorkshire market town.
23 GAZPACHO
Half staring chap cooked duck soup (8)
Half of GAZ[ing] (staring), then an anagram (cooked) of CHAP, then O (zero = duck in cricket scoring).

Spanish chilled tomato soup.
24 TEACUP
China reported Asian hardwood now more expensive (6)
Homophone (reported) of TEAK UP (Asian hardwood increasing in price).
25 CYPRUS
Out of intransigency Prussia split part of Europe (6)
Hidden answer (out of . . .) in [intransigen]CY PRUS[sia].

Mediterranean island, the subject of a territorial dispute between Greece and Turkey, hence “split”.
26 FOR KEEPS
Wasting billions, perhaps Trident alarm sounds permanently (3,5)
FORK (perhaps a trident = three-pronged fork) + [b]EEPS (alarm sounds) without the B (abbreviation for billions).

For keeps = slang for forever.
DOWN
2 LAUD
Praise for two flips (4)
DUAL (for two) reversed (. . . flips).
3 SOUWESTER
Gale ordered sweet and sour (9)
Anagram (ordered) of SWEET + SOUR.

Usually written sou’wester, a contraction of southwester: wind coming from the south-west, which in the UK usually means strong wind and heavy rain. The word is also used for a waterproof hat that seafarers typically wear in these conditions.
4 ISSUE
Offspring lives with us, rising expenses primarily (5)
IS (lives) + US reversed (rising = upwards in a down clue) + first letter (primarily) of E[xpenses].

As in the legal phrase “without issue” = without any descendants.
5 GODSEND
Miracle shot, dead on small target (7)
GO (shot, as a noun = attempt) + D (abbreviation for dead, or more usually “died”) + S (abbreviation for small) + END (target = objective).
6 APARTMENT
Some people uncoupling at home (9)
PART (some = not all) + MEN (people), in between (uncoupling) AT.
7 FILCH
Take lift up, saving time with children (5)
LIF[t] reversed (up = upwards in a down clue), without the T (abbreviation for time), then CH (abbreviation for children).

Filch = take = steal.
8 CONSULTANT
Top doctor confining new sovereign to bed (10)
N (abbreviation for new) + SULTAN (sovereign ruler of a Muslim state), contained in (confined to) COT (a small bed).
12 VOCABULARY
Words very old police force eschews on street (10)
V + O (abbreviations for very and old), then C[onst]ABULARY without ON + ST (abbreviation for street).
14 ABSTRACTS
Sailor on land entertained by ship paintings (9)
AB (abbreviation for able-bodied seafarer = sailor), then TRACT (a piece of land) contained in (entertained by) SS (abbreviation for steamship).

Artworks that aren’t intended to be an accurate representation of real subjects.
16 CHILDCARE
Baby-sitting circle had parties (9)
Anagram (parties, as a verb = dances around) of CIRCLE HAD.
18 NAFF OFF
‘Please leave’ picked up very loudly from football supporter? (4,3)
FF (abbreviation for fortissimo = musical term for very loudly) + OF FAN (from a football supporter, for example), all reversed (picked up = upwards in a down clue).

Slang expression meaning “go away!”, but rather less polite than the “please” in the definition implies.
20 DOPER
Deal with a druggie (5)
DO (deal with, as in “do the paperwork”) + PER (a, as in once per year = once a year).
21 ENTER
Log you could make treen from (5)
Anagram (you could make . . . from) of TREEN (objects made from wood; a catch-all term for miscellaneous things that turn up at antique sales).

Log, as a verb = enter = record information in a paper form, or the online equivalent.
22 JUMP
I’m doubtful magistrate has secured vault (4)
UM (expression meaning “I’m doubtful”) contained in (. . . has secured) JP (abbreviation for Justice of the Peace = magistrate).

13 comments on “Independent 11,688 by Filbert”

  1. My favourite is DEADLINE too. Liked the way the surface led me away from the definition. Also liked POSTCARD and WALRUS for corpulent swimmer was a fun clue. TEACUP was another beauty. I think ‘up’ for ‘expensive’ was in a recent Filbert. Very satisfying to solve and parse in two sittings although I did need the blog’s help for ‘uncoupling AT’ in 8d and the mechanics of NAFF OFF. Thanks Quirister and Filbert.

  3. Several faves. FLASHING reads like an extended def. Even otherwise, a great surface (one of many).
    POSTCARD (quite funny) and WALRUS: ditto Sofamore@1.
    NAFF OFF: Lovely all-round beauty.
    ENTER: A nice extended def.

    Thanks Filbert and Quirister! If there is a theme, someone will tell us soon.

  4. I have had a few difficult solves of late so it was a great confidence-booster to finish most of this on a first pass and to find myself with enough crossers as a result to be able to complete on the second. A rare experience with a Filbert. POSTCARD and WALRUS have been rightly singled out for praise. I also enjoyed QUEUES, ABSTRACT and CHILDCARE.

    Thanks Filbert and Quirister

  5. Inventive, fun, and fair as always. VOCABULARY was a super spot. QUEUES and POSTCARD were my other picks.

    Thanks Filbert and Quirister.

  6. Excellent stuff. Smooth and plenty challenging parts. In a rush, I did ask Google for a list of Yorkshire towns. It listed 54 but did not include Huddersfield. Serves me right, especially since my mate PR lives there.

    Favourites QUEUES and DEADLINE. Many thanks both

  7. Xmac @6: I suspected the town was ending in FIELD, which crossers confirmed. But, though I know Chesterfield is NOT in Yorkshire, I could not get it out of my head so only when the U was supplied by another crosser was I able to see the solution.

  8. Once I had FLASHING and POSTCARD I was half expecting more not quite fifteensquared posters (PVa maybe). VOCABULARY the best of a very good bunch for me.

  9. Thanks Quirister for sorting out the blog – hope we do justice to tomorrow’s puzzle that you were due to blog.

    A suitable challenge today. We hadn’t thought of uncoupling in APARTMENT as a way of indicating separating but very fair. It was our LOI. VOCABULARY was good too.

    Thanks Filbert – keep ‘em coming please.

  10. Defeated by entering an unparsed DIALLING at 10a simply from the wrong defn. of phoning. I would have spent a long time getting to the right answer so not too disappinted. Afterall it was only a few months back that I would tap out of a Filbert after completing about half of it.

    I liked TEACUP and QUEUES a lot among many very good clues.

    Only question is I can’t work out whats going on for walking quickly shortened at 17a. Seems to be in the wrong order to me.

    Thanks to Filbert for the mental exercise and to Quirister for the expertise.

  11. rocket @10: Glad to hear you’re getting the hang of Filbert – he’s not easy. 17a is a bit confusing because it’s two separate parts, each of which is shortened by dropping the last letter. WAL[k] is “short” = the K is dropped, and RUS[h] (a synonym for speed) is “reduced”= the H is dropped.

  12. Thanks Quirister @11 – Makes perfect sense now you’ve encouraged me to reread the clue for the twelfth time. Not sure what I thought I was seeing, but it wasn’t reality!

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